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Virtual temple
Hindu Temple becomes reality in C6
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Whitney Sanford was familiar with the C6 virtual reality system, a six-sided
research instrument that completely surrounds users with three-dimensional
graphics and sound.
She had served as a "test subject" for the opening of the C6,
which is located in Howe Hall.
She was also acquainted with Carolina Cruz-Neira, associate professor
of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and associate director
of the Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC), through their membership
in the Skunks, a local cycling group. Cruz-Neira is the driving force
behind the C6.
Still, Sanford hadn't given much thought to how this system could be used
in her courses.
Then late one Friday afternoon, a conversation between Sanford and Cruz-Neira
drifted to how Sanford's Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
could utilize the C6.
That's when the associate professor and professor-in-charge of religious
studies came up with the idea of creating a "virtual" Hindu
Temple.
"We actually came up with the idea on the day the Miller Grant applications
were due," Sanford remembered. "We asked for an extension, worked
all weekend on the application, and submitted it the following Monday."
They eventually received a Miller Grant to start work on the virtual Hindu
Temple.
And so far Sanford's expectations have been far exceeded by the results.
"It's going much farther than I had initially envisioned," she
said. "Not only do we have a virtual model of a Hindu Temple, but
there are also human figures (Avatars) that transform the temple from
a static environment to an immersive and interactive environment."
Sanford says students in her religious studies courses can only learn
so much from books and her lectures. They should be able to "virtually"
visit sites and historical events and eventually "virtually participate"
in these events.
"We're increasing access (with the virtual Hindu Temple) to remote
cultural, religious and historical sites," she said. "We'll
be able to take them to a temple where they can be a part of a ritual
performance and actually show them what people do in this environment.
"Virtual reality is a really interesting pedagogical tool."
The initial version of the virtual Hindu Temple has been completed and
was one-third of VRAC's display at the SuperComputing Conference in Baltimore
in November. "Ashes to Ashes - Dance Driving," developed in
part by Anne Deane, assistant professor of music, will also be included
in Iowa State's exhibit.
Sanford and Cruz-Neira are applying for a National Science Foundation
(NSF) grant to take the virtual Hindu Temple to a full immersive state.
"Digital storytelling is an exciting new field in which we can utilize
the skills of the humanities and information technology," Sanford
said. "The new version will offer ‘portals’ so participants
can leave the linear story and enter sub-stories that explain relevant
background material such as the mythology or social issues. This will
allow us to explore methods of presenting linear stories as well as non-linear
sub-stories."
Participants will be able to participate in the story by assuming the
role of one of the characters in the narrative. Or they can roam through
the environment guided by a virtual friend.
In the future, she also hopes that a fairly tight scripted version of
the virtual Hindu Temple will walk participants through the rituals.
"In this version, it's almost like entering a story," she said.
"As the technology improves, we'll be able to have it even more interactive."
In addition to completing the project, Sanford is exploring ways of utilizing
the virtual Hindu Temple in her classes through digital storytelling.
"How does this fit into education?" she asked. "How can
we use this type of interactive experience for the humanities?
"We can use this as an educational tool," she continued, "but
it can't replace actually going to a Hindu Temple and seeing the rituals
yourself. These stories are meant to entice, not replicate."
Sanford envisions a series of virtual reality projects that could look
at other religions as well.
"One thing I hope to get out of all of this is to demystify these
religions," she said. "We need to educate students about the
world's different traditions and hopefully interest people in learning
about religions and cultural traditions."
Around LAS
November 18 to December 1, 2002
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